So Many Things to Think About

Big and little, there seems to be too many topics rattling around my head these days. It seems that in the past there wasn't as much to decide upon. I know that isn't true. Maybe it was job related needs that blocked some of the items on the table now. Yesterday was the first baseball game of the year. I know that games would overshadow many thoughts. This is tax season also, but I remember that baseball took precedent over a 1040 and that is why paying for tax preparation became the norm.

Now without a job and bells defining my life, I am overwhelmed with decisions to make. Net Neutrality and potential loss of freedoms. House repairs. Tiny house or no tiny house. Move or stay. Taxes. Water or drought. It seems that my day is spent making decisions.

Maybe it's the area of decisions being decided upon that is the difference. As a teacher I was constantly making decisions. Whom to help. Whom to sternly talk to. How to present a new topic. What to drop from teaching because today is a rally schedule an classes are shorter. During the day I had little time to think about the other topics and questions in my life. I have been blessed that Maureen took care of many of those decisions and actions. Now I have no excuses, and I feel harried. That will evolve I'm sure, but for now the decisions remain to be made.

Different King of Work, Better Soil

Today's tale is just a small picture of what we have been doing. Maureen found the Back to Eden method of soil building. We covered our garden and food beds with shredded trees and compost. The idea is that the soil will be protected and the worms and other critters will work their way through the soil to the decomposing plant material on the surface of the soil. They drag the plant material down through the soil and aerate and build the soil. No tilling is done and compost and more mulch is added each year. I'm not describing the process very well, but I hope you get the idea.

Yesterday Maureen started the process of planting a tree and in digging the hole for the tree had to dig in an area with the mulch and a nearby area with no mulch. The mulched area was softer and had more worms. The other area didn't. Score one for mulch.

World Ag Expo--What a Day!

This past week we were able to go to the World Ag Expo. This is reportedly the largest agricultural show in the world. It takes place over three days in a town about 25 miles from home. I've been in the past a few times, but Maureen and the two children that came along had never been before. We also attended with grape growing brother-in-law and his son. This is a yearly show for ag companies to exhibit their new products and wares. People come from around the world to sell, buy and look at any product that is remotely ag related. Everything from Big ag to small startups. Politicians and celebrities are there to talk and look. I have never attended any Las Vegas trade shows, but they can't be any bigger than this. One thing gladly missing is the bikini clad women hawking disc blades. 

Usually it's raining for the Farm Show, but this year it was a gloriously warm day, which was nice as the show is HUGE! We walked for more than five hours and didn't see half of the exhibits and displays. The picture above shows about 1/2 to 2/3's of the show. The big white building near the center is for dairy products only. To the right of the dairy building is the truck and atv driving areas. Yes, you can try out different vehicles including the eight tires articulated tractors that dwarf a human. The building above the dairy building was the only building we walked through. This was for small implements, soil products, fertilizers and software companies. Brother-in-law needed to go here for some clients and we were able to learn about some products we can use on our vegetable gardens.  To give you a size idea of this building, we were inside for over an hour and talked to only about a dozen vendors. More stuff than a person could imagine.

Maureen and I were looking for tiny home displays as we had heard there were some at the show. Unfortunately none were present, but as brother-in-law was arranging to pick up a trailer we talked to the owner and sales rep about trailer specs. We discovered an organic fly attractor and trap that will allow us to feed the dead flies to the chickens. We learned the chemical makeup of a snail and slug product we use, and that we don't need the expensive "plus" version. We wanted to look at some fruit trees and talk to someone about them, but they were at the other end of the show and we never got there. We talked to some shipping container companies looking for storage options. I'm sure I've forgotten other products and sights.

A big highlight of the farm show is the food booths. Multiple variations of tri-tip sandwiches, or other meat products. Ice cream and food on a stick also. One school gives the students the week off and the students help in the food prep. It should be noted that the school nets $61,000 for the three day show. That's a good amount of money to supplement your programs. 

During and after the show I wondered about what I was experiencing. Large farming machinery from large companies seemed to dominate the landscape. But part of that was because the machines and implements literally took up large blocks of land. Technology was everywhere. The large tools had it evident, but software was used in every aspect of farming. Regular aircraft and drones with their ability to read what is happening in a field had many vendors. Systems that helped plants grow, cows get milked or land get leveled were found. It truly was a spectacle if you weren't up to date with ag practices. 

It was  good day and next year I will wear comfortable shoes.

Preliminary Book Report--The King of California

This is one of those books that hits close to home on a few counts. The town of Corcoran where much of the actions takes place is near here. I worked with a member of a cotton growing family mentioned in the book and this person grew up in Corcoran.My father worked 30+  years in the water business and had dealing with the Boswell farming operations. He had a chance to go to work for the Boswells, but chose to stay where he was. I worked at an irrigation district that dealt with Boswell Farming. I've been to Corcoran for various reasons and wanted to see if the authors take away some of what I have.

If you want to learn some history of the Central Valley and the Tulare Lake basin, this book gives you that. In that way it is a glimpse for me into my families past and helps give a better understanding of the Depression. It is also the not so pleasant history of what an established group with do to other races and groups. So far the book explains the beginnings of the irrigation systems of the Central Valley.

Historically I'm only in the 1940's and the first of the dam building era. I look forward to reading on to the time of my life and my memories.

3 Months Ago Yesterday

Three months ago yesterday I entered a hospital in the morning, had an 8 hour surgery, then spent two and a half weeks recovering before going home to continue recovery. I don't remember anything of the surgery, little of the next few days, but eventually more and more I became aware of people and things around me. Through good days and not so good we continued. Yes, we. Without Maureen and our children the journey would be extremely difficult. As it is, it is difficult. Though getting easier each day.

The constant through this is Maureen. Thank you beyond what words can express.